Cop Hit by Falling Tree During Routine Traffic Stop

A dashboard camera captured the moment an Iowa cop almost died last week when a large oak tree randomly cracked and slammed directly into the SUV he was ticketing.

Jeremy Veach was talking to the driver, who had neglected to put her headlights on, when the 30-foot tree cracked and fell, totaling the car and slamming Veach to the ground.

No one involved is quite sure why the tree fell when it did.

Centreville's police chief said there was no wind in the area that night and the owners of the tree said they had no idea it had rotted because it "appeared healthy" and continued to sprout green leaves each season.

Veach and the driver walked away without major injures. The SUV, which Veach was able to duck behind, bore the brunt of the damage.

The driver's driving record, however, emerged unscathed.

"That's the one, true way to get out of a ticket, ya know," Veach told KCCI. "Everyone asks a police officer, 'How do you get out of a ticket?' If a tree falls on you, you're probably going to get off."